2021-22 All-PacWest Teams

IRVINE, Calif. – All contributing members to the best Academy of Art women's basketball season in the last five years, a trio of Urban Knights were selected for Pacific West Conference honors in Tuesday's announcement ahead of the PacWest Championship Tournament. Forward/center Alisha Wilson and junior guard Chanel Stuart each found themselves on the All-PacWest Second Team and junior guard Lauryn Manns joined the All-PacWest Third Team.

Wilson simply did it all for Academy of Art in her debut season. Recording double-digit rebounds in 17 of her 24 games played, she not only led the PacWest in both rebounds per game (11.0) and double-doubles (13), but also ranked 17th and 22nd in NCAA Division II in those respective categories (the lone freshman in the top 38 of rebounds and one of three freshmen in the top 31 of double-doubles). Along with her 9.5 points per game (which came on a team-high .484 field goal percentage), she checked in at second in the conference in blocks (1.7) and 11th in steals per game (1.9), upping that second number to 2.4 in conference-only games (third in PacWest). Constantly crashing the offensive glass hard, she ended the regular season fourth in the country in offensive rebounds per game (4.8).

"Alisha has been a force on both sides of the ball for us," said Head Coach Krystle Evans. "Her relentless effort on the boards, shot-blocking ability, and the way she has finished around the rim has been key to our success. To have 13 double-doubles in the regular season as a freshman is a testament to the heart and tenacity of this young woman. I am extremely proud of her."

The PacWest Defender of the Week twice in 2021-22 (Nov. 27, Dec. 13), Wilson began by nearly achieving the program's first triple-double with eight of her 10 rebounds on the defensive end and seven blocked shots (tied the ART U record) to go with 16 points against NCAA Division I San Jose State on Nov. 24 in her first collegiate start. She then secured her second honor after averaging 7.0 defensive rebounds, 2.5 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game in the Knights' sweep of their first trip to Southern California, grabbing a season-high 18 rebounds (fifth-most in ART U history) at Point Loma on Dec. 11 during the trip. Thriving throughout conference play, she posted a season-best of six steals versus Dominican on Dec. 4 and her biggest scoring output came in the final month of the regular season when she erupted for a season-high 22 points (on 11-for-18 shooting from the field) against Hawaii Pacific on Feb. 17.

Stuart's final season with the Urban Knights showcased both her tremendous long range scoring ability and aggressiveness defensively. From mid-November to late January, she hit a 3-pointer in 14 straight contests while also enjoying a seven-game stretch recording three or more steals within that time. She completed the regular season as the team's leading scorer, averaging 11.4 points per game (15th in PacWest) to go with 2.1 steals (fifth in PacWest) and 0.6 blocks per game (15th in PacWest). She added the conference's fifth-most three-point field goals made per contest (2.2) while also pacing ART U with the highest plus/minus average (+4.48).

"Chanel has improved each year and I'm glad that the other coaches in the conference have acknowledged that," Evans said. "She has added more versatility to her game becoming a reliable '3 and D' player. The most coachable player the four years she has been at ART U, she's deserving of this recognition. She was not highly recruited out of high school, but she just kept her head down and kept working hard. I'm so happy that she is able to see her hard work pay off."

The 2021-22 season will be forever remembered as the one which saw Stuart break two program records in the same game. It came on Jan. 15 at Hawaii Pacific when she drained 10 3-pointers on her way to 42 points, surpassing the ART U record by three points, matching the PacWest record for triples set in 2018, and collecting PacWest Player of the Week honors in the process. Along with her breakout offense, the Communications & Media Technologies major also registered a season-high three blocks against Point Loma on Jan. 6 then swiped a season-high five steals versus Holy Names on Feb. 8 as part of the aforementioned seven-game stretch that also saw her earn a PacWest Defender of the Week selection. She also secured a season-high 11 rebounds against No. 10 Western Washington on Dec. 14, adding 12 points for her sixth career double-double.

In her encore season to a campaign that saw her named to the 2021 All-PacWest Northern California Team, Manns introduced more of the conference to her skills on both ends of the court. Scoring in double figures in over half of her games played en route to a 9.7 points per game average (22nd in PacWest), she added 1.7 steals (15th in PacWest) and 0.4 blocks per game (19th in PacWest). The Communications & Media Technologies major finished the regular season with a +78 plus/minus which averaged to +3.12 in 25 games.

"Lauryn is the best two-way player in the conference," Evans said. "She disrupts teams' offense with her relentless defense and can score from all three levels. She has the clutch gene and her confidence is growing each day. Truly happy for her."

Two of Manns' biggest scoring outputs came when the Knights needed them most. Separated by just four days amid a battle for seeding in the PacWest Tournament, she poured in season-highs of 24 points in back-to-back games against Fresno Pacific (Feb. 20) and Biola (Feb. 24). In the latter of those two contests, she matched her career-high with six steals and would go on to be named the final PacWest Defender of the Week.

This is the second All-PacWest Team honor for Manns in her career and the first for Wilson and Stuart.